|
Date
|
Ship
Cruise Line
|
Event
|
Type
of Incident
|
May 11
|
Freewinds
Chuch of Scientology
|
According to Asian
News International, the ship has been was
said to be "under seal" on the Caribbean
island of Curacao after cancer-causing particles were found on the
vessel. According to reports, deadly blue asbestos
dust was released during refurbishment of the ship, used by the church
as a floating "education centre" and for VIP parties. The ship was
originally built in 1968 and sailed as Commodore Cruise Line's Boheme
until 1981. Commodore Cruise Line, which predated Carnival Cruise
Lines, had the tagline, "A Happy Ship."
|
Asbestos scare
|
May 8
|
Aquamarine
Louis
Cruises
|
The ship is heading to the Greek island of Milos for an
emergency inspection after its hull was damaged. The ship with 1200
people onboard suffered a 5-foot (1.5-meter)
gash above the water line. The Associated Press reports the ship
"scraped against a pier" as it was leaving Iraklion (Crete).
|
Collision with pier --
Holed hull
|
May 4
|
Mona Lisa
|
The ship ran aground early in the morning on a snadboank
about 10 miles from the Latvia coast. It was on its way from Kiel
(Germany) to Riga (Latvia). Attempts to free itself were
unsuccessful which meant that almost 1000 passengers needed to be
evacuated by the Latvian Coast Guard. There were no known injuries and
no known environmental issues. The ship previously ran aground in
Venice May 12
2004 and July
26 2003.
|
Aground
|
May 3
|
Pacific Sun
P&O
Australia |
The ship was on its way to Noumea (from Brisbane) when it
was forced to drop anchor in a shipping channel near Moreton Island due
to engine problems. The ship remained anchored overnight (while repair
crew tried to fix the problem) and resumed its voyage the following
morning (after being stationery for more than 15 hours). It is not
known how the delay will affect the itinerary.
|
Engine problems
|
May 2
|
Norwegian
Cruise Line |
Norwegian Cruise Line agreed to plead guilty to a charge of
criminal negligence in connection with 2003 boiler explosion that
killed eight crewmen and injured another 20 (some seriously). A report issued by
the National Transportation Safety Board determined the explosion
was likely the result of deficient boiler operation, maintenance and
inspection.
|
Guily Plea
|
April 28
|
Norwegian Dream
Norwegian
Cruise Line |
The ship reported 10 of 726
(1.38%)
crew and 99 of 1579 (6.27%) passengers
had
reported ill on an 18 day cruise that began April 13 and which
disembarks May 1. |
Illness |
April 26
|
Grandeur of
the
Seas
Royal
Caribbean International |
From a passenger: The
Ship
developed propulsion problems on April 23 resulting in a 3
hour delay arriving in Bermuda on April 24th. Passengers had tours
shortened or cancelled. Midday on April 25 the Captain
advised propulsion problems continued and the ship would arrive 3.5
hours late in
Baltimore on April 26 (10:30 AM). Those passengers with flight times
prior to 2:30 pm
were advised to make alternate airline arrangements. A letter was
delivered to each stateroom that confirmed the arrival times and stated
that a refund of $100.00 per passenger would be offered to cover the
cost of ticket changes. (There was no offer to actually cover the
increased cost of obtaining last minute flights.) Many people
took
the information at face value and made arrangements for flights
departing between 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm. The ship actually arrived
at the pier in Baltimore at 2:30 pm and disembarking did not start
until 4:00 pm. Many people were unable to get to the airport in time to
make their “new” flight times. Not a lot of happy campers!
|
Propulsion
problems
--
Delays
|
April 25
|
Majesty of
the
Seas
Royal
Caribbean International |
WFTV
reports that a family of five were evicted from the ship late at
night on Tuesday (the second day of the cruise) when their 7-month-old
child became sick. They think they were
kicked off the ship because her symptoms were similar to the Norwalk
virus. The child was throwing up and had diarrhea. A
doctor on the ship said she was dehydrated and had to be treated in a
hospital. The family said a security guard gave them 10 minutes to pack
their bags and get off the boat. It was 11 o'clock at night.the father
asked if his wife could get out of her pajamas but the response was
that there was no time for that. A
doctor at the emergency room diagnosed the infant with a cold, not
dehydration. He signed a form and cleared her to travel, but the ship
had already left and they were stuck in the Bahamas with no
passports to get home. They spent $455 on emergecy passports, $650 on
plane tickets home, and $600 for the emergency room on toip of the cost
of the five night cruise. RCI refuses to reimburse the family for their
expenses but did offer to provide credit on a future cruise.
Royal Caribbean takes exception with the parents' account (see Fox News
- April 29) and has agreed as a gesture of good
will to provide the family with a refund of its
cruise fare and reimbursement for its flights home. |
Family of 5 kicked off
cruise
|
April 23
|
Navigator of
the
Seas
Royal
Caribbean International |
A poster
at Cruise Critic writes that the ship is stuck in Lisbon with a
problem with a stabilizer. The ship was initially anchored in the Tagis
River but was later moved to a berth in port. According to the
discussion thread, the ship is not permitted to leave Portugal until
the problem is fixed and apparently the ship willl go to Cascais for
repairs (the stabilizer fin is apparently going to be cut off/removed).
The next two port calls (Cadiz and Malaga) have been cancelled and
there is some concern as to whether the ship will make it Barcelona on
Saturday as is scheduled. The ship also skipped its scheduled call at
Azores which means the only port calls on the transatlantic cruise were
Bermuda and Lisbon. UPDATE: The
"repairs" in Cascais involved cutting off both aft stabilizers. The
ship then left for Barcelona and arrived Friday night. As compensation
for missing the three ports and being stuck in Lisbon passengers were
given a 20% credit (based on what they paid for their cruise) to be
used toward a future cruise.
|
Stabilizer problems
--
Ports cancelled
|
April 22
|
Carnival Victory
Carnival
Cruise Lines |
A 44 year old man was reported missing by his wife. It
is
believed he fell overboard 40 miles northeast of Cozumel. A rescue crew
from Clearwater's (Florida) Coast Guard Station are helping in the
search. While the FBI says there was no foul play, family members
disagree saying that man was not suicidal. He was apparently last seen
in the ship's casino. |
Person missing
|
April 22
|
Serenade of
the
Seas
Royal
Caribbean International |
A passenger writes On the second day of the cruise, the 21st
of April, at 5.00 in the morning a helicopter of the US Coast Guard
rescued an injured person. The accident happened a few hours before.
The ship had to turn and now there is a delay in the next port
Cartagena, Colombia. The ship is on its repositioning cruise to Alaska
for the summer season.
|
Shortened Port Call
|
April 22
|
Sapphire Princess
Princess
Cruises |
The was prevented from making its scheduled port call at
Dunedin because of bad weather. Winds were expected to whip up to 110
km per hour in the afternoon so even though the ship could get into
port at 6AM, there was concern it would not be able to leave with winds
so high. It was to be the last cruise ship visit of the 2007-08 season.
The ship continued on to Auckland.
|
Missed Port
|
April 14
|
Carnival Conquest
Carnival
Cruise Lines |
KHOU
in Houston reports a Houston man needed 20 stitches after a bloody
brawl aboard the ship. According to the news report, the Chapman
family say they were having a good time in the cruise ship’s
nightclub when a
passenger started beating three members of the family with a metal
baton. “He was just watching us, leaning by the bar by himself,” Brenda
Chapman said. A Carnival
spokesperson said the man was removed from the ship in Jamaica as a
result. They confirmed the altercation happened and said the FBI
is handling the investigation. Krystal Chapman said she wanted to fly
home when they got to Jamaica but the family had to stay onboard the
ship until Sunday, a full 7 days after the fight. |
Pax on Pax altercation
|
April 9
|
Aurora
P&O
Cruises
|
The Hong
Kong Information Services Department reports that the Centre for
Health Protection is following up on a British
report
concerning four cases of hepatitis-E infection involving four men on
the world cruise which took place January 7 to March 28. The UK Health
Protection Agency has been working with the cruise
operator and port health authority to distribute health advice to all
passengers. People who have been aboard the vessel should seek medical
advice if they come down with hepatitis symptoms. Hepatitis-E is a
viral infection highly endemic in Central and
Southeast Asia, and North and West Africa, as well as Mexico. It is
acquired by ingestion of contaminated food or water. Its incubation
period ranges two weeks to two months. Symptoms include fever, malaise,
anorexia, nausea, abdominal pain, dark urine and jaundice. UPDATE APRIL 30: The BBC
reports the number reported coming down with Hepatitis E is now
confirmed at 7.
|
Hepatitis on World
Cruise
|
April 8
|
Queen of the West
Majestic America Line |
Fire broke out in the engine room while the ship was near
Maryhill, WA on the Columbia River. The fire was quickly exteniguished
but the ship had to be towed to a state part where it was nudge into
the river bank for evacuation of th124 passengers and 53 crew. The only
reports of injury were from crew members who suffered smoke inhalation
while fighting the fire.
|
Fire
|
April 4
|
Le Ponant
|
Pirates took over the ship with
30 crew on board off the coast of Somalia. The luxury sailing ship was
heading from the Seychelles to the Mediterranean Sea when pirates
stormed it in the Gulf of Aden. There were no passengers onboard at the
time of the attack. The ship was subsequently freed by French military
and some pirates arrested following a ransom payment.
|
Pirate Attack and
Seizure
|
April 3
|
Zaandam
Holland
America Line |
The ship reported 13 of 611
(2.13%)
crew and 100 of 1428 (7.00%) passengers
had
reported ill on a 15 day Hawaii cruise that began March 19
in San Diego and which
disembarked April 3. |
Illness |
April 1
|
Van Gogh
|
The ship was detained by authorities in Funchal, Madeira
over unpaid bills by its previous owner, Travelscope. An agreement
between the administrators of Travelscope and the current operator, Van
Gogh Cruise Line Ltd was reached after a couple of days and the ship
was on its way back to the UK. It was on the last leg of a world
cruise.
|
Ship seized
|
April 1
|
Inspiration
Carnival
Cruise Lines |
The ship appears to be having propulsion problems that are
affecting port calls. Those interested my wish to check Cruise
Critic.
|
Propulsion problems
|
March 31
|
Grand Princess
Princess
Cruises |
Press in Jamaica reported what appeared to be a fire when
the ship was in Ocho Rios -- residents in the area reported the ship
came to a halt and there was thick smoke surrounding the vessel.
Princess Cruises later reported there had been a breakdown of one of
the ship's engines and damage to another. The ship cruised at reduced
speeds with delayed arrivals in ports. Repairs were planned without
taking the ship out of service.
|
Engine breakdown
|
March 31
|
Ecstasy
Carnival
Cruise Lines |
The ship returned to Galveston approximately 6 hours late.
The reason given by Carnival was propulsion problems. Disembarkation
and embarkation were both delayed.
|
Propulsion problems
|
March25
|
Sky Wonder
Pullmantur Cruises |
The ship ran aground as a result of
strong winds while the port of Kusadasi (Turkey). A total of 1,029
passengers were evacuated and brought to Kusadasi safely; the cruise
was canceled. According to Think
Spain: It seems that the
captain of the'Sky Wonder' made a mistake as he was manoeuvering the
elderly vessel towards the dock, and given that the ship's reverse gear
was not working and that the Turkish port's tug boats were out of
action, could do nothing to prevent her from slowly drifting on to a
sand bank where she became stuck. The passengers only agreed to abandon
ship after receiving guarantees from the Pullmantour company that
organised the cruise.
According to one of the passengers, Marta (26, from Madrid), "at the
start they only offered us a 50% discount on our next cruise. "A
protest meeting was organised and the
passengers - already fuming about not being kept informed about the
situation - opened negotiations, eventually agreeing to accept not only
a full refund (around €900 euros), but also the promised 50% discount.
The ship previously ran
aground January 2007 -- click
here for details. Turkish-language media in Kusadai write
that the ship's
grounding did major damage to the city's sewage system. They report
that The ship has landed on the sand at a
distance of only 20 meters from the yacht harbour (see here and
here).
The main reason is
the failure of small 'guide boats' which help the cruise ships. The
experienced- skilled staff of guide boats have been totally substituted
after the takeover of the harbor by Royal Caribbean with cheap and
uneducated labor. Now, after
the destruction of the underwater sewage system, the beaches are full
of 'shit'; and the reparation process needs at least 2 months - at the
high season of tourism industry. UPDATE:
As of May 9, repairs have not been made and the area stinks (as you'd
expect with raw sewage in the harbour).
|
Aground
---
Damage to sewage system in Kusadasi
|
March 20
|
Port of Barbados
|
Three ships (RCI's Serenade of the Seas, HAL's Maasdam, and
Pullmantur's Holiday Dream) were prevented from docking at Bridgetown
because of high seas. Two of the ships made it into port, but a
decision was made to not disembark passengers. A fourth ship,
Silversea's Silver Wind cancelled its call for March 21, also because
of sea conditions.
|
Canceled port call
|
March 19
|
Carnival Conquest
Carnival
Cruise Lines |
The port call at Montego Bay was cancelled -- the Captain
announced it was because of a medical emergency. The next scheduled
destination is Grand Cayman.
|
Skipped port call
|
March 18
|
Norwegian Spirit
Norwegian
Cruise Line |
A 44 year old woman fell 65 feet to her death during
a zip line ride through the jungle on the Caribbean island of Roatan.
She was riding along a steel
wire hung between trees in
the jungle when either a harness holding her broke or the line snapped
-- she and another person (a worker) had both fallen. She
was taken to a private clinic on the island, then transferred to a
hospital in the mainland city of San Pedro Sula, where she died on
Wednesday. The excursion was reportedly at Gumbalimba Park. |
Fatal accident on shore
excursion
|
March 17
|
Legend of
the
Seas
Royal
Caribbean International |
Several persons from the Dominican Republic were not allowed
to leave the ship in Sint Maarten after authorities were tipped off
that they intended to stay in the country. The ship home ports in
Dominican Republic, making it a good cover for people wanting to leave
DR in search of better economic opportunities. Local sensitivity to the
issue is raised by past incidents of "ship jumpers."
|
Some pax not allowed to disembark
|
March 13
|
Georgis
Piraeus-based
|
The ship was evacuated (278 passengers and 35 crew) after
it ran aground off the Saronic Gulf island of Poros, near Athens.
The
Greek-flagged ship is believed to have hit a reef three nautical miles
from the port of Poros, a small island in the Saronic Gulf an hour's
distance from the capital that is popular with tourists.Winds up to 40
kilometres (25 miles) an hour were blowing in the area at the
time. The ship was on a day cruise from Piraeus to the Saronic
islands of Aegina, Hydra and Poros. |
Run Aground
|
March 12
|
Carnival Victory
Carnival
Cruise Lines |
The
Daily Times (Knoxville) reports on a 12 year old girl who was
allegedly raped by a 23-year-old
male passenger and left drunk, alone and semiconscious in a hallway at
1:30 a.m. on a cruise that began November 25, 2007.The girl had
disappeared and was found on a search of the ship. According to the
girl's grandmother, a 14-year-old girl on the ship was
approached by the same 23-year-old male passenger and offered alcohol
the day before the incident involving her granddaughter occurred. In
that incident, the male passenger allegedly threatened to throw the
14-year-old girl's boyfriend overboard after the girl refused the man's
offer to join him for drinks. |
Rape of Minor
(Pax on Pax)
|
March 11
|
Artemis
P&O
Cruises |
The ship left Southampton for the Caribbean on March 10 but
was forced to detour to Falmouth for repairs after suffering damage to
the anchor stowage area on the bow in stormy weather. The damage does
not affect safety but repairs were needed before the ship headed across
the Atlantic. The ship should be ready to leave Falmouth March 12.
|
Storm damage |
March 10
|
Voyager of
the
Seas
Royal
Caribbean International |
According to a passenger, there was a small fire onboard
that did something to damage the propulsion system of the ship.
As a result the ship's schedule was altered, although it did go to all
3 destinations. However shore excursions were all shortened. |
Minor fire
|
March 9
|
Sun Princess
Princess
Cruises |
The cruise ending today (14 day
Sydney to New Zealand return) reportedly had an outbreak of
norovirus affecting approximately 100 passengers. According to a
passenger, The
increased sanitisation program that was put in place made things
unpleasant; instead of relaxing on board you were constantly on guard
not to touch the banisters, walking the stairs instead of using the
lifts, avoiding contact with any other passenger, waiting in long
queues for food because services were disrupted, having to walk around
with hand sanitisation gel etc. Staff attitudes were also affected --
deck hands were used as sanitisation crews and were putting in many
hours extra, and Wait staffs had to do much more as well, like putting
salt and pepper on food, as all salt and pepper pots had been removed.
All SPA baths were closed; so were the laundry facilities (which made
things unpleasant as under clothes had to be washed in the staterooms
and after 14 days at sea fresh clothes were becoming a problem).
|
Illness
|
March 9
|
Costa Mediterranea
Costa Crociere |
A 39-year-old woman who became angry with her
boyfriend reportedly jumped off the ship at 11:56 PM Saturday night.
The ship had left Port everglades earlier on a 7 day cruise of the
western Caribbean. The Coast Guard was notified at 1:18AM on Sunday,
prompting a
search for her
in the Florida Keys. The unnamed woman jumped
overboard about 20 miles southeast of Key Largo. The ship's port call
at Key West for the day was cancelled.
|
Person overboard
|
March 8
|
Disney Magic
Disney
Cruise Line
|
According to a poster at DisBoards,
the ship is experiencing propulsion problems which are affecting
arrival times in port and are also affecting how smoothly the ship
cruises. Passengers were apparently given an onboard credit of $100
because of the problem.
|
Engine problems
|
March 6
|
Norwegian Jewel
Norwegian
Cruise Line |
Two Canadian passengers were
robbed at knifepoint in Castries (St. Lucia). They had ventured
into Pavee thinking the area’s great view
made it the perfect place to take pictures. It was 1:30 in the
afternoon and being robbed was the last thing on
their minds; the cruise line never warned that
trekking into villages away from the town center could be dangerous.
They paid little attention to three men they saw coming
out of their homes on their way up the hill. They reveled in what they
saw, the preschoolers and the scenery. The couple stood taking pictures
for a few minutes then turned
around to head back into town. This time, two men trailed close behind.
A third jumped from a nearby bush and that's when they were attacked
and
robbed. See
news story here.
|
Onshore robbery
|
March 1
|
Oosterdam
Holland
America Line |
From a passenger: We just returned from a 7 day Baja
cruise. Two days into the cruise my fiance became very ill and
was quarantined to the cabin for 48+ hours. It was the virus. Naturally
this ruined the cruise for us which was an Air America
Progressive Radio cruise, with 400 others. I never could find out how
many others were ill, but I believe several. We were offered $200 in
ship credit for this disaster, which we refused, going all the way to
the Hotel Manager. There were inadequate services in place to deal with
this quarantine and I was forced to carry meal trays and clean the
bathroom! Regular stewards were not allowed to attend us.
|
?Illness? |
March 1
|
Carnival Freedom
Carnival
Cruise Lines |
The ship left Miami for a seven day cruise to the western
Caribbean but was forced to retrun to port at 3:15 AM (next day) for a
medical emergency. It is unkown how the delay will impact the itinerary
which includes Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Ocho Rios.
|
Returen to port
|
February 29
|
Vistamar
Plantours & Partner
|
The ship had an unscheduled port call at St. Kitts after it docked at the Port Zante Pier. Wind speeds
of 25 knots gusting at 30 knots prevented the 11:30 p.m.
unberthing of the ship, extending its stay in St. Kitts until Saturday
afternoon. See SKN News.
|
Delayed departure (high winds)
|
February 28
|
Celebration
Carnival
Cruise Lines |
A fugitive wanted by the Atlanta
Police
Department on charges of felony murder and aggravated assault was
arrested by U.S. Marshals just before the ship entered international
waters. Derron Williams, 29, was taken into
custody aboard the ship at 7 p.m. as the ship was steaming for
Freeport, Bahamas. After
marshals learned that Williams had flown to Jacksonville and
boarded the ship, the Coast Guard ordered the ship to stop
before reaching international waters, where federal agents boarded.
|
Passenger arrested
|
February 28
|
MV Saurav
Bangladesh Ferry
|
The ferry, carrying more than 100 passengers, capsized
Thursday after hitting a cargo vessel on the Buriganga River. Most of
the 39 dead were women and children who were traveling on the
lower deck of the boat; about 20 people remain
missing. The ferry had been traveling from Dhaka to the nearby town of
Taltala.It sank near shore in the calm river after colliding with a
small cargo
vessel and many people were able to swim to safety. The cargo vessel
was slightly damaged. |
Ferry Sinks
|
February 25
|
Saga Rose
Saga Holidays |
An 82-year-old
British man drowned while snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef
shortly after assuring worried cruise ship staff he was fine and wished
to continue his swim. He was
found unconscious in the water a short time later. Despite attempts at
resuscitation, the man was pronounced
dead at the Hamilton Island Medical Centre. He was
travelling with his partner on an over-50s, round-the-world cruise; the
ship was anchored near Hamilton Island, when the accident
happened. |
Death on snorkeling
excursion |
February 25
|
Ryndam
Holland
America Line |
The ship reported 8 of 556
(1.44%)
crew and 113 of 1226 (9.22%) passengers
had
reported ill on a 108 day Mexican Riviera cruise that began February 15
in San Diego and which
disembarked February 25. |
Illness |
February
24
|
Sun Princess
Princess
Cruises |
The ship's arrival/departure
(debarkation/embarkation) from Darling Harbour (Sydney, Australia) was
delayed by more than eight hours. The reason for the ship's late
arrival is not known.Accoridnmg to a passenger: We
learned in the morning that the ship was running late and instead of a
midday embarkation we would have to wait until 18:00. On arrival at the
Passenger Terminal at about 17:30, we were met with chaos -- passengers
were still in the process of disembarking and check-in was terribly
long with a huge degree of confusion at all points. We were issued with
a number and then promptly stood around trying to look intelligent but
feeling distinctly like a herd of sheep. There must have been about
1500 people in an area designed to hold about 500. The public toilets
were over loaded and much to be desired, in fact were disgusting. There
were attempts to distribute water bottle amongst the crowds with the
occasional fruit and crisps, however this was not a very effective
exercise either. We finally cleared check-in and boarded
the ship at 20:00 with tempers flaring; the ship offered late dinning
which I suppose was a small compensation. We set sail at 23:00 and left
Sydney
in the dark. I think our baggage was finally delivered to our stateroom
at about 03:00 in the morning. We were then woken at 10:00 in the
morning with a Fire Drill, so not much sleep for many! |
Delayed Debarkation & Embarkation |
February 24
|
Carnival Liberty
Carnival
Cruise Lines |
The ship's arrival in Port Everglades was delayed by more
than six hours because of a medical emergency requiring a diversion to
Grand Cayman for a 15 year old passenger. Instead of arriving in port
between 5:30 and 6:00 AM, it arrived after 11:30 AM. The ship was on an
8 day cruise of the western Caribbean.
|
Delayed arrival & departure
|
February 20
|
Millennium
Celebrity
Cruises |
A passenger from the ship this
morning after a snorkeling excursion at Savannah Bay, Virgin Gorda. The
65-year-old man went on a
snorkeling excursion with his wife and several others. After about half
hour of snorkeling, he reported
feeling tired so they decided to return to the beach. While at
the water’s edge, he developed difficulties breathing and reported
feeling chest pains. He was assisted by other persons from the
excursion, one of whom happened to be a doctor. An ambulance was called
in. He was taken to the Iris O’Neal clinic where he lost consciousness
and stopped breathing. He was pronounced dead at about 11:20 a.m. |
Death on snorkeling
excursion
|
February 20
|
Sky Wonder
Pullamntur Cruises
|
A failure in the steam system left the ship with no electric
power -- it took place 10km far from Punta Del Este. The lack of energy
left a lot of passengers worried. According to CVC, no one was hurt,
despite the turmoil. By morning the crew brought passengers on tenders
ashore and the ship was pushed to the local port for repairs. At the
end of the afternoon, when passengers returned to the ship from tous,
the problem was solved and the trip resumed.
|
Power failure
|
February 20
|
Emerald Princess
Princess
Cruises |
The port call at Basse-terre,
St. Kitts was canceled for both ships because of high winds. An
explanation is given in Caribbean
Net Newsspaper: “As we are all aware, the pier in St. Kitts lies in
a north to south
direction on the windward side of the island which means it is fully
exposed to the winds out of the east. Ships the size of Crown and
Emerald have a very large profile surface area. They also have a large
number of balcony cabins providing pockets of further resistance to the
wind,” said Nielsen, who added: “With winds in excess of 30 knots out
of the east, it is nearly impossible to safely come alongside the berth
and even more difficult to maneuver off the berth if the winds
conditions do not improve at the time of sailing." |
Port call canceled (weather)
|
February 18
|
Crown Princess
Princess
Cruises |
Port call canceled (weather) |
February 18
|
Constellation
Celebrity
Cruises |
A 28 year old Chinese crew member went missing as the ship
approached Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale). He had last been seen at
5AM and then did not show up for morning muster an hour later at 6AM. A
search
of the ship was undertaken but was unsuccessful. The Coast Guard
wasnotified of the disappearance at 1:40PM. |
Person missing
|
February 17
|
Holiday
Carnival
Cruise Lines |
According to WKRG
in Mobile, a Carnival spokesperson said the ship returned briefly
of a medical emergency. Holiday left Mobile yesterday afternoon on a
5-day cruise to Mexico. The
ship turned around 1:30AM because of the medical
emergency. Carnival says the the ship was evacuated while the passenger
was taken
off. Once things were cleared, the remaining passengers got back on and
headed to Mexico. The port call at Progresso was cancelled; the ship
will stop in Cozumel.
|
Strange return to port
|
February 14
|
Explorer of
the
Seas
Royal
Caribbean International |
A passenger reports there was an outbreak of
gastrointestinal illness in the first half of the 12 day cruise from
New Jersey to the Eastern Caribbean. On its return to Cape Liberty, the
ship encountered a violent storm,
waves in excess of 25
feet, and gale force winds-force 11) -- this data was reported on our
stateroom TV’s (channels 41 or 15). The captain had warned us the day
prior that we would be following the storm, but this was not the
case-we were in the middle of it. In a question and answer period with
some of the officers on Feb. 14, including the assistant captain, he
mentioned we had the misfortune of passing through 2 cold fronts and
the gulf stream within the same day. The rough sea conditions lasted
for 12 hours. The ship was rocking side to side, elevators were padded
in the event of injury, waitstaff in the dining areas reported feeling
dizzy and ill, plates were dropping, and 2 elevators that day were out
of service. |
Extremely Heavy Seas
|
February 7
|
Veendam
Holland
America Line |
From a passenger: The ship arrived late today at St. Thomas
(approximately 2pm, instead of normal time of 8 am) due to a medical
evacuation that happened at 3 am yesterday morning. A helicopter was
called to evacuate the passenger. The delay was also caused by engine
trouble, which the Captain described as "oil overheating", and had to
reduce speed to reduce the temperature of the oil. Once arriving in St.
Thomas, the passengers will have to see immigration officials, as per
the Jones Act, and the Veendam will have to depart at 5pm to make it's
next port of call in Dominica. All shore excursions are cancelled.
According to rumor, Head Office in Seattle would not let the Captain
skip the port of St. Thomas as they insisted they stop there. The
ship left Tampa Feb 3 on a 14 day cruise.
|
Delayed arrival in port
|
February 4
|
Ecstasy
Carnival
Cruise Lines |
The ship's arrival in Galveston was delayed close to seven
hours as a result of fog -- it was just ending a four night cruise to
Cozumel. Departure of the following cruise, a three night cruise to
Progresso, was also delayed -- it departed Tuesday instead of Monday.
|
Fog delays
|
February 1
|
Island Star
Island Cruises
|
A Brazilian
newspaper reports (precise date unclear) the ship was adrift for 9
hours and without onboard power for 6 hours in an area between Sao
Paulo and Rio. Repairs were made (there was apparently water mixed with
fuel) and the ship went on its way.
|
Loss of power
Adrift
|
February 1
|
Carnival Glory
Carnival
Cruise Lines |
NBC6
in Miami and Coast
Guard News report that a 46 year old Indian crew member failed to
show up for work at 6:30 AM and is presumed missing at sea. The crew
searched the ship and reviewed security tapes before notifying the
Coast Guard around 12:30 PM. The COast Guard search was unsuccessful. The ship was en
route to Nassau, the last stop on a seven day cruise embarking at Port
Canaveral and that included Belize City and Cozumel.
|
Person missing |
February 1
|
Riverdance
Seatruck
Ferries
|
23 people were airlifted off the ferry in the Irish Sea
after the
ship ran into difficulties in bad weather. The ferry had apparently
been travelling
close to Fleetwood in Lancashire, northwest England, when it ran into
difficulties after its cargo suddenly shifted. The ship was listing
badly and bad weather
was hampering the rescue effort. A spokesman for Seatruck Ferries said
the ship, bound for Warrenpoint,
Ireland, was carrying trucks and trailers. The ship ran aground on the
north shore of Blackpool Beach.
|
Heavy list
--
Abandon ship
|
January 31
|
Navigator of
the
Seas
Royal
Caribbean International |
A 29 year old Jamaica crew
members was arrested in Belize today. Ship security officers found the
crew member him with a parcel of white powder believed to be cocaine
taped to the inside of his thighs. The ship was 5 miles out of Belize
City - but they figured he had picked up the drugs when he came
onshore, so they called the CIB Office in Belize City. The crew member
was arrested and the powder was sent for testing. And while it looked
like cocaine and was concealed like cocaine, it was not. A test showed
that it was just non-narcotic white powder. But still, police believe
the man had bought what he thought was cocaine - which is still an
offence - but not nearly as serious as trafficking cocaine. He was
charged with the rarely used offence: "supplying a substance other than
controlled drugs." |
Non-drug drug bust
|
January 28
|
Oceana
P&O
Cruises |
A passenger was gunned down
after docking on Venezuela’s paradise island of Margarita aboard the
ship. According to The
Sun, the 53 year old man was buying a cold drink as his wife
popped into a
shop when the mugger thrust a pistol in his chest and demanded his
cherished £10,000 Rolex watch. He ignored him, turned away – and
was shot. As he collapsed with blood pouring from his wound, the gunman
fired two more bullets which narrowly missed him. The attacker then
pistol-whipped him around the head before grabbing the 18-carat gold
watch. Amazingly, the bullet had missed the man’s heart by millimetres
and passed straight through his body with only minor damage. He
returned to the ship after a hospital visit and continued on the cruise
(although he refused to leave the ship the remainder of the 14 day
cruise).
|
Passenger shot on shore
|
January 28
|
Enchantment of
the
Seas
Royal
Caribbean International |
The ships was unable to make our port call in Grand Cayman
due to rough seas. Shore excursion fees were refunded however no
credits or allowances were provided. The ship arrived at the next port,
Ocho Rios, the following morning |
Canceled port call (Rough seas) |
January 28
|
Holiday
Carnival
Cruise Lines |
WKRG in Mobile reports the CDC is looking into an outbreak
blamed for making 22 of 686 crew (3.21%) and 121 of 1548 passengers
(7.82%) sick onboard the ship,
which returned this
morning from a 5 day cruise to Cozumel. |
Illness |
January 28
|
Balmoral
Fred
Olsen
|
The ship's inaugural sailing scheduled for January 30 has
been canaceled. After arriving in Dover four days later than panned, a
number of unforseen technical isues emerged and led to the cancelation.
The Caribbean cruise scheduled for February 13 remains on schedule.
|
Canceled Sailing
|
| January27 |
Norwegian Star
Norwegian
Cruise Line |
The ship reported 32 of 1104
(2.9%)
crew and 228 of 2430 (9.39%) passengers
had
reported ill on an 8 day Mexican Riviera cruise that began January
19 in Los Angeles and which
disembarked January 27. |
Illness |
January 22
|
Pacific Star
P&O
Australia |
The ship returned one day late from an 8 day cruise from
Auckland to Vanuatu and Mystery Island after confronting high seas (7
metres) associated with Cyclone Funa. According to the New
Zealand Herald, five passengers reported injuries. The ship sailed
into the worst of the storm on Sunday night (January 20), which smashed
glasses, moved furniture, and caused the cruise ship to issue warnings
asking passengers to take care around the ship and
avoid exposed decks. An announcement at 10.50pm asked passengers to
return to their cabins or remain seated, explaining that the "rolls"
the ship was experiencing were due to two swells coming from different
directions. |
Extremely heavy seas
--
Delay
|
January 21
|
Inspiration and Imagination
Carnival
Cruise Lines |
Both ships were prevented from making their call at Grand
Cayman Island because of weather conditions. The
ships had a day at sea and continued on to their next port of call.
|
Canceled port call (Weather)
|
January 17
|
Norwegian Pearl
Norwegian
Cruise Line |
Reported in the St.
Lucia Star
January 21: "Six cruise ship passengers, two
Americans and four Canadians were on a forest trail above the Botanical
Gardens [at Soufriere] when two masked men, one yielding a machËte
and the other
a
gun, robbed them of their ID, jewelry, purses and wallets. The
two tour guides were robbed of their monies and one of
them,
Katia Polius, attempted to call for help on her cell phone. The bandits
noticed and landed her with several kicks. When the masked men left, it
is reported that the female guide reassuringly escorted the guests to
their taxi . . . then fainted." |
Robbery on shore
excursion
|
January 16
|
Noordam
Holland
America Line |
The ship reported 12 of 816
(1.47%)
crew and 103 of 1980 (5.2%) passengers
had
reported ill on a Southern/Eastern Caribbean cruise that began January
5 in New York City and which
disembarked January 16.
|
Illness |
January 13
|
Dawn Princess
Princess
Cruises |
A
passengers writes that "many, many passengers" came down with
gastrointestinal illness during the seven day cruise from San Diego to
the Mexican Riviera. The CDC has not reported an outbreak. which
requires 3% or more of passengers to report illness to the infirmary --
in the case of this ship there would need to be 60 passengers reporting
ill to meet the CDC threshold. NOTE: A
passenger on the cruise embarking January 20 also reports a large
number of passengers with gastrointestinal illness during the cruise. |
Illness |
January 12
|
Volendam
Holland
America Line |
The ship reported 7 of 608
(1.15%)
crew and 85 of 1451 (5.86%) passengers
had
reported ill on a Southern/Western Caribbean cruise that began January
2 in Fort Lauderdale and which
disembarked January 12.
|
Illness |
January 11
|
Star Princess
Princess
Cruises |
From a passenger:
There was a fire in the
incinerator room on deck 3 on the Star Princess this morning (Jan 11).
We knew that something was up when the captain called for an assessment
crew for the incinerator room on deck 3. I was at the purser's desk
when a bell sounded an alarm and the captain announced that the crew
was to respond to an emergency. The pursers ran out of the room, the
gift shops closed and we could see the crew with their life jackets on.
In a few minutes the captain came on and announced that a small fire in
the incinerator had been put out. I was impressed with how fast the
crew responded and that the captain let us know what was going on as
soon as he could. The ship left Buenos Aires yesterday and is
en route to Port Stanley (Falkland Islands).
|
Fire |
January 10
|
Pacific Princess
Princess
Cruises |
The ship reported 3 of 369
(0.81%)
crew and 33 of 642 (5.14%) passengers
had
reported ill on a cruise that began December 15 in Tahiti and which
disembarked at Ft. Lauderdale January 10. The illness was confirmed as
caused by e. coli. |
Illness
|
January 8
|
Pacific Sun
P&O
Australia |
Another pedophile has been evicted from a P&O ship.
According to the Daily
Telegraph, "In relation to the latest paedophile
... the company had become
aware of his prior offence and exercised their right to disembark him
from the Pacific Sun cruise ship in Noumea." According to Radio New
Zealand International police in New Caledonia deported the man
after
he and his family were taken off the ship -- he was believed to pose a
risk to the 250 children on board.
|
Passenger evicted / deported
|
January 5
|
Maasdam
Holland
America Line |
Dozens of people, just disembarked from the ship, were
injured when a car collided with their bus while traveling west on
I-595 near the interchange with Florida State Road 7 and Florida
Turnpike. According to Associate Press, at least four people were critically injured, four others
seriously injured and at least 20 people sustained minor injuries.
|
Onshore bus accident
|
January 5
|
Pacific Star
P&O
Australia |
According to TV New Zealand,
French police were called to the ship during a
stopover in Lifou Island, in New Caldedonai's Loyalty Islands group
where they removed and sent home a 37 year old Australian man who
allegedly attacked a 46 year old
New Zealander. The woman was found
in a state of shock and and suffering bruises in the early hours of the
morning of New Years day. She told police in New Caledonia she had been
raped in the
man's
cabin while the ship was docked, but
said she was too drunk to recall all the details, local sources said.
It is understood the Australian man said he had engaged in consensual
sex with the woman. Police are also investigating accusations of
drink-spiking during the cruise (see
Daily Telegraph). |
Rape
|
January
4
|
Constellation
Celebrity
Cruises |
A Canadian
woman died during a dive excursion to the Proselyte Reef, a few miles
off Great Bay Harbour. According to her husband, she was a certified
diver.
Shortly
after descending to the dive site she indicated she wanted to return to
the
surface and was brought to the surface by
the dive guide and her husband and taken into the dive vessel. She
became unwell shortly after. After security personnel went to get her
some water she was found lying on the floor with “foam” running from
her mouth and nose. Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) was
administered, while the dive company’s office was called for help.
After the other divers had come to the surface the victim was
immediately brought ashore. She was pronounced
dead at approximately
10:45am by a medical
doctor after she was brought back to shore by dive company Scuba Fun. |
Death on
Shore Excursion
|
January 4
|
Pacific Dawn
P&O
Australia |
Radio
New
Zealand reports French police in New Caledonia on December 22
deported an
Australian citizen
with a paedophile history who was on board the ship. The
43-year-old was arrested during a stopover in Noumea after
police received information from their Australian federal counterparts,
that the individual was a high risk repeat offender, and had served
18-months jail in New South Wales in 2004. At that time he was found
guilty of disseminating paedophile pictures and indecent assault on
minors. This brings to four the total of arrests of Australian citizens
with a paedophile history since October last year. |
Passenger deported
|
January 4
|
Oriana
P&O
Cruises |
A passenger writes that
after
departing Madeira for Southampton on the homeward journey the ship
experienced a force 10 storm wich lasted for at least 12 hours.
It was difficult to remain in bed during the night due to the
pitching and rolling. On comparing
notes with other passengers in the morning (walking wounded) many
experienced cuts and bruises - but the main thing that emerged was how
terriyfying the whole experience had been and people were amazed how a
ship the size of the Oriana had been so badly buffetted.
Bizzarely, when we received the 'captain's log' of the journey on the
final day of the cruise there was absolutely no mention of the force
10, nor about the fact that we had a loss of all electrics (no engines,
toilets, lifts, etc) for about an hour mid Atlantic when we just
drifted, on the outward journey. The ship was on a 21 day
cruise
from/to London which crossed the Atlantic to BVI and returned from
Barbados via Madeira.
|
Extremely high seas
|
January 3
|
Carnival Liberty and Imagination
Carnival
Cruise Lines |
Both ships were prevented from making their call at Ocho
Rios because of rough seas associated with a weather cold front. The
ships had a day at sea and continued on to their next port of call. See
Jamaica
Observer for the story.
|
Canceled port call (Weather)
|
January 3
|
Radiance of
the
Seas
Royal
Caribbean International |
Passengers spent up to two hours
bouncing around on small tenders in rough
seas after it became impossible to get them back to their ship in
George Town Harbour (Grand Cayman). Cruise lines had been advised to
make the last tender at 2pm,
but
a weather front came through sooner than anticipated, which forced
tendering from George Town to Spotts Dock on
the south side of Grand Cayman. Rather
than using the services and larger tendering vessels of Caribbean
Marine Services, Radiance of the Seas chose to use their own lifeboats
to tender passengers. The experience for passengers was not pleasant, as
described in an article in the Cayman newspaper.
|
Rough sea for tendering
|
January 2
|
Grand Princess
Princess
Cruises |
The port call at Cozumel was canceled because of rough seas
and weather. On January 4 the ship stopped at Freeport instead of
Princess Cays.
|
Canceled port call (Weather) |
January 2
|
Veendam
Holland
America Line |
The port call at Belize was cancelled today because of rough
weather. Passengers were refunded ports fees and plied with free
champagne.
|
Canceled port call (Weather) |
January 1
|
Ecstasy
Carnival
Cruise Lines |
Port call at Progresso canceled because of high winds.
Passengers were compensated with an onboard credit of $25 (roughly
equivalent to port fees associated with the port call).
|
Canceled port call (Weather) |
January 1
|
Fram
Hurtigruten |
The ship's January 2 cruise has been canceled so the ship
can undergo repairs after its brush with a glacier December 28. The
cruise scheduled for January 10 from Ushuaia is expected to proceed as
planned.
|
Cancelation
|
Click here for events in 2007 |
Reported Cruise
Industry Spending on Lobbying the US Congress, 1997-2007 (pdf)